Boualem Sansal heard by the anti-terrorism prosecution

The Franco-Algerian writer Boualem Sansal, arrested on November 16 at Algiers airport, was questioned by the anti-terrorism prosecution and placed under arrest warrant, according to AFP which cites the statements of his lawyer, François Zimeray, this Tuesday, November 26.

Sansal, aged 80, is detained under article 87 bis of the Algerian Penal Code, which punishes attacks on state security. François Zimeray denounced a serious measure against a writer for his writings, regardless of the disputes or sensitivities invoked.

He also recalled the stature of Boualem Sansal, recognized as a major figure in French-speaking literature, committed against obscurantism and in favor of democracy.

According to the newspaper Le Monde, Sansal’s arrest could be linked to statements made to the media Frontières, associated with the far-right. In this interview, he allegedly claimed that Morocco was amputated by territories for the benefit of Algeria during French colonization.

This interpretation would be perceived by Algiers as an attack on national integrity, a sensitive accusation and severely repressed in the country.

Winner of the Grand Prix de la francophonie of the Académie française in 2013 and the Grand Prix du roman of the Académie française in 2015, Boualem Sansal therefore seems to have been arrested for expressing opinions that are disturbing in Algeria.